SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow Video: See the Future, Today

Due out next month, the first expansion for SimCity introduces elements that allow you to take your metropolis into the future.

Cities of Tomorrow will add a host of new features to the core game, and as lead game designer Stone Librande shows, there are a lot of different ways this technology can be applied to your burgeoning town.

Complexes like the Academy offer new ways to research clean technology, while also providing power wirelessly to the city. Neighboring the city where the Academy resides is burg built on manufacturing the mysterious substance, Omega. Everyone wants Omega, even though SimCity is very vague about just what it is (Soylent Green, anyone?). The profits from this industrial town are then funneled into the Academy to keep residents there happy and living clean.

Both cities help compliment the third example town, where residents abide inside Mega Towers. These massive structures expand vertically, giving you more room for residential, business and recreational space without compromising square mileage. The whole region benefits as a whole thanks to three different locales working together, and it's quite impressive when it works. Hopefully, this expansion won't cause any more unforeseen issues with SimCity, and we can all experience the world of tomorrow without leaving our homes.

SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow will be available for PC and Mac on Nov. 12.